A French Hate Story
by AimIsTalking
Summary: Sollux Captor is a usually antisocial nerd that hates most of his classmates, except, unfortunately, Eridan Ampora, the irritating yet frustratingly sexy other student in his French class. The last thing Sollux wants is to get partnered with Eridan for their upcoming trip to France, but what will happen if he does? (It's probably better than it looks. School/Humanstuck EriSol.)
1. Stress and a Book

**A/N: Hello, my name is Aim, and welcome to my fanfiction. This is literally the first one I've ever uploaded for all to see, so humor me, yeah? I'd appreciate if you left a review with your thoughts. Thanks! :)**

**Chapter 1**

Sollux Captor rested his chin on his hand and sighed, staring at the thick novel he'd randomly grabbed off the school library shelf. He really didn't care what it was, as long as it was a God damn _distraction_. Glancing around the library without really focusing on anything, he thought about all the work he'd have to do to catch up. How did he end up being sick for five whole days and missing _three_ fucking tests in the process?! He opened the book and attempted to begin reading it, but too many papers, responsibilities, problems were jumping around in his head that he couldn't focus on something relaxing for the life of him.

Leaning back in his chair and taking off his glasses, he rubbed his eyes and smoothed back his unruly black hair that could never seem to lay flat. God, he was tired, and he still had several history and French papers to...

Shit. As if he didn't have enough on his plate. There was that trip to Paris coming up that he couldn't afford to think about. Trips out of the country should be fun, right? But of _course _he had to think about raising money to be able to go. Of course he fucking did. And then he had to deal with some assigned partner that'd probably be totally insufferable. Sighing, he turned back to his book to try and read. At least he only had about a thirteen percent chance of getting stuck with that damn bastard.

And suddenly, in said bastard sashayed, grinning and winking at several girls who turned towards the library door to swoon at His Hotness's grand entrance. The second Sollux realized who it was, he jumped and attempted to hide his most likely obvious reddening face behind his volume. He couldn't have this _now_, not fucking _now_. But as usual, the fucker spotted Sollux in a matter of nanoseconds, shooting him that frustrating sexy smile that he used most often to flirt with poor victims. Teasing him, that's what he was doing. But how the hell could he _know_?

Eridan fucking Ampora. The idiot that had stolen Sollux's heart—or rather, ripped it out of his chest violently while he protested and yelled for the damn thing back—and run with it, yanking the boy onto an emotional not-quite-thrill ride, until soon he had fallen hopelessly in love with the other.

And he'd hated every minute of it.

He hated Eridan. He wanted nothing more than to walk up to him and punch him in that stupid, sassy face of his. But at the same time, he couldn't stop himself from thinking Eridan was the most perfect being on the face of the planet. While he was a total asshole, Sollux couldn't help but feel that there was something more to the other high schooler...something he very, very much wanted a part of.

Shaking his head furiously, Sollux pushed the thoughts out of his head. All of his current problems, fishface included, were far too overwhelming to dwell on. He buried his face in his book, managing to get through the first few lines before he felt someone plop down into the seat next to him. He gave them a quick glance and then did a double-take—_Eridan Ampora is sitting next to me Jesus Christ he's never done this before what the actual fuck is he- _

His panicked train of thought was interrupted when the man next to him spoke in a smooth, haughty, and rather nasal voice that Sollux somehow couldn't stand to live without.

"So, Captor, how's that book you're reading? Looks a bit boring, if you ask me," Eridan said,with an amused smile on his face.

Sollux mumbled, "...Fine. I-just wanted a book..." _Go away,, I can't do this right now, dammit. _

Eridan rocked his chair back and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh, but isn't there something more fun you could be doing? Like...me?"

Sollux convulsed and dropped his book onto the table with a loud _thud, _making several other people turn and frown in the two teens' direction. It didn't help that Eridan was laughing so hard he was choking on his own breaths, and of course that the latter was extremely attractive. Sollux evil-eyed the onlookers through his blush that he _prayed _they thought was only due to his anger.

Snatching his book and standing up, Sollux glared down at the ecstatic-looking asshole with his damn purple-streaked hair. "What kind of fucking joke is that? The hell is your problem, you bastard?"

Still laughing, Eridan looked at him with a strange glint in his eyes. "Well, knowing you, can't I assume you want to?"

Sollux slammed his hand down on the table and leaned over so that he was right at Eridan's eyes level. "Listen, fucker. Don't make assumptions like that. You don't know me at all."

He turned and stormed out the door and didn't stop until he'd reached the empty storage closet, the only place he could go to avoid all the assholes and retards he had to deal with on a daily basis. Slamming the door, he turned and leaned against it, breathing heavily. He reached up to run his thin fingers through his hair, then moved them down to his lips.

For just a second, he'd been close enough to Eridan that he could have kissed him right there. Not that he'd ever be able to. But still, the tingling of his lips told him that this feeling he'd been suppressing for so long could start to become a bigger problem than he'd thought—and one that he didn't know how to solve.


	2. French Class is Hell

**Chapter 2**

The next day, Sollux was walking toward French class with Karkat, his surly childhood best friend that probably had serious self-esteem issues, and Terezi, said bestie's girlfriend, who was admittedly obnoxious and bothersome most of the time, but was also kind and very protective of those she cared about. Lately, Sollux had become one of those people, and her friendliness to him was probably at its highest level ever. Sollux had known Karkat for a very long time, and though they often argued, they truly did love each other like best friends should, and both were prepared to fuck anyone up who dared mess with the other. Karkat's anger problems didn't end at Sollux, but the latter was good at calming him down. When Karkat introduced him to Terezi, the two hadn't liked each other at first, but eventually got closer and became friends. Sollux felt comfy in his little trio, though he'd never say that out loud.

"So, your class is going to France this year, right?" Terezi asked, jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." Sollux replied. Terezi and Karkat took Spanish and wouldn't be going on the trip. Their class would be going on a trip to Spain next year when they were seniors.

"How much money have you raised? Do you think you can reach the goal? I heard it's like, twelve hundred dollars."

Sollux rolled his eyes, saying, "Of _course _I can raise it. I went to the neighbors last night and offered babysitting, and at least half of them were interested. And I already have my job at my dad's bookstore. I'll have the money by the time we need it in January. Don't doubt me, Pyrope. I've got this." It was November 27th. He could do it.

"Y-you know, I can help out if you want, Sol. But don't get too needy. I'm only so fucking generous, you know." It was Karkat speaking now, who'd for once managed to keep his usual barrage of curses out of a sentence. Good for him.

Sollux snorted. "Pfft. Yeah, whatever. I'll do fine on my own, KK. You'll see."

The truth was, he was in rather good spirits that day, and had good expectations for earning the money he needed to get to France. Being widely known as a nerd, he fit the description quite nicely, obsessing over schoolwork and computers like nothing else mattered (and with this attitude, had figured out several ways to hack into other computers and fuck them up). French was a favorite of his, and he harbored a secret burning desire to go to France. Now that his wish was being granted, he planned to do all it would take to ensure its success.

Karkat started shouting at Sollux for acting like he was better than the other, to which Sollux responded that it was only because he was smarter and knew it was true. They began arguing, and it took the rest of the walk to the Spanish class for his girlfriend to break them up. Snickering like the arrogant asshat he knew he was, Sollux walked a bit farther, and then entered his French class. After sitting down, he happened to look up, and there across the room, talking to a pretty girl in a fuchsia headband, was..._him._

Sollux gasped as the memories of the previous day (that he seemed to have suppressed) came rushing back. Shit, not again...he'd be distracted all class by that gorgeous motherfucker's graceful movements and voice and...dammit, this was the last thing he needed. He forced himself to turn back to his binder, take out his homework, and focus on the teacher,

In English, Monsieur Rew announced, "All right guys, today you're getting your partners for the trip to France. I know it isn't for a while, but this way you can get to know the other person if you don't already, and maybe even raise money together. To start us off, we have Mlle. Lalonde with Mlle. Maryam...M. Strider with M. Nitram..." 

Sollux tuned out the teacher's voice, figuring he's jump back in when his name was called. He wondered who he'd get the "pleasure" of rooming and wandering around with for a week. Honestly, everyone in that room annoyed him to no end, but he decided he could stand it as long as he didn't get stuck with Eridan. He didn't know how long he could take sharing a room with that asshole...and being close to him...with beds...no. His thoughts could NOT go farther than that. He would not allow it.

The teacher's voice invaded his head again. "And lastly, we have M. Captor with..."

He braced himself. _It won't be _that _bad, _he reminded himself. _As long as it's not..._

"M. Ampora!"

Sollux froze. He could no longer hear the teacher talk about their next lesson, could no longer understand any of the gossip being whispered around him by his bored classmates. Slowly, he looked towards Eridan on the other side of the room. That bastard...that sick _fucking _bastard...was staring right at him, wearing the most devious, excited, and...oh God..._sexy _smile Sollux had ever seen on his frustratingly attractive face.

All he could do was stare in horror at the other student as he slowly turned away, still smiling. Again, Sollux caught that strange, almost creepy light in his eyes, before Eridan was facing the other direction completely.

Sollux dropped his head into his hands.

He was fucked.

And at this point, he couldn't tell if it would even be in the bad way.


	3. Which Closet Do You Mean

**Chapter 3**

**~One Month Later~**

"Jesus Christ...I'm exhausted."

"You think you're the only one, dumbass?! I was up till two thirty last night finishing a fucking science essay."

"Well, _I, _sir, was up until three thirty. At least I didn't procrastinate like you do. I was working late to raise the last of my money for France."

"Go fuck yourself. I don't need this fucking bullshit."

Karkat, with whom Sollux had been having that lovely exchange, stomped off to his own homeroom seat. He really must've stayed up late if he was grumpier than usual. Of course, his manner of speaking and attitude were the same as always, but on most days he'd stick with Sollux even when he was in a mood (which was pretty much all the time). Well, whatever. Sollux had unfinished homework anyway, and in the state he and his friend were in, they probably needed some alone time.

But Sollux was tired as all hell. He'd stayed up late babysitting some kids that refused to go to bed until twelve, and then their lazy-ass parents got stuck in traffic and didn't get home from their dinner party until two thirty. On the drive back home, Sollux had been held up by the same traffic and got home, barely conscious, at around three thirty, collapsing into bed immediately.

In the end, though, it was all worth it. He had every last bit of the money he needed for France. He'd worked tirelessly for the last month, digging into his savings, asking his father to help fund him by paying him more for doing extra jobs around their bookstore, and babysitting more kids than he

could count at least four times a week. It was extremely taxing mentally and physically, but he'd done it all, and scrounged together twelve hundred fucking dollars. In one month. Hell, he really _was _awesome.

He'd sent the money to the office as requested, and could now relax and finish his French homework. Speaking of French...Sollux had managed to keep Eridan out of his mind as he worked for the past month, but he was always there, attracting Sollux's attention when he least needed it, teasing him by walking a little too close to him when they passed in the hall and barely brushing his hand when passing out papers. He caught Eridan staring at him and smiling at random times in class, which only made him blush and fuck up whatever he was doing. Now, the very idea of being together with Eridan constantly for one week this month was scary and thrilling at the same time. Why was it scary, though?...Sollux couldn't say. Yes, he...it made him wince to admit it..._wanted _Eridan, but he wasn't sure how to handle being that close to him. Would he even be able to make a move? Would he _want _to? Did Eridan even really like him, or was he just messing around like he did with...basically everyone else? Suddenly, the bell rang to end study hall, and he hurried down to lunch.

About halfway to the cafeteria, someone appeared beside him and grabbed his wrist. Sollux turned, irritated, but jumped when he realized it was Eridan. _Shit, let go of my wrist...I can't do this now. _But he couldn't push the words out of his mouth. Instead, he forced himself to look Eridan bravely in the eye, though the other was a few centimeters taller.

"Heya, Sol. Come with me, I wanna talk to you." Eridan gave him one of those winning smiles, and Sollux found himself unable to do anything but blush. The other boy dragged him by his wrist down the hall and into—his storage closet?! He was sure no one else knew about it! But Eridan opened the door and shoved him right through it, stepping in after him and shutting the door.

Sollux glared at Eridan and growled, "How did you know I come here?"

Eridan snickered and said, "Well, you're in the metaphorical closet, so I figured you might go into a real one too." Seeing Sollux's face redden (he could at least pretend it was from anger), he shook his head and smiled. "Nah, I've seen you walk in here a bunch of times. I can usually see you even if you think no one does."

Sollux was about to insult him in response, but was shocked into silence when Eridan walked right up to him, backed him into a pile of boxes, and placed his hands on either side of his head.

"Wh-what the fuck do you think you're doing?..." Sollux could tell he was doing very badly at trying to hide that he was breathless.

"Shut up for once, you loser..." Eridan leaned closer and Sollux's heart beat faster.

"Don't tell me what to-!" Sollux was cut off when Eridan's lips pressed against his.

Dear God. Dear _God. _His lips felt even better than Sollux had imagined, no he hadn't imagined that, he wouldn't admit it, but Jesus Christ now Eridan's tongue was in Sollux's mouth and this isn't real, none of this was ever real, there's no way _Eridan Ampora was kissing him-_

And then it was over as suddenly as it had begun, as Eridan pulled his all-too-soft lips away from Sollux's, leaving his mouth feeling cold, and turned away to the door.

"I've waited a long time to do that, Captor. Savor it."

And he was gone, leaving Sollux to collapse onto the floor in shock and pleasure and confusion, with nothing but the quickly fading memory of Eridan's mouth against his.


	4. What a Tease

**A/N: This one's a bit shorter than the others. Idk. I did my best.**

**Chapter 4**

**~The Week of the Trip~**

Sollux looked around nervously at his classmates joking and playfighting around him in the line to get on the plane. They were all complete losers in his eyes, but it would be easier to feel high-and-mighty if it weren't for the incident that had been keeping him awake at night and messing up his schoolwork for the past week.

Yes, he couldn't get that kiss...that perfect, mind-numbing, confusing kiss...out of his head, and it was seriously throwing him off. Sollux had spent less time with Karkat and Terezi, which worried his two friends, and spent more time typing codes obsessively on his computer. Being close to other people only stressed him out more when someone asked what was wrong, and he couldn't have any of that. The only thing that could possibly calm him down was making new codes and testing old ones. His computer was the only logical thing in the world when everything illogical got to him in ways he couldn't stand.

Unfortunately, laptops weren't allowed on this God-forsaken trip to France, so Sollux would basically be forced to pay attention to his...roommate. And then, speak of the motherfucking devil, there he was, walking down the line in front of Sollux like a damn king. Eridan was attracting the attention every girl in sight, but he did nothing more than grin at them as he walked. But of course, he stopped only when he reached Sollux, smiling even wider when he saw the other.

Right then, Sollux got unreasonably angry. This guy hadn't said a word to him, or even looked at him, since he'd kissed him in the storage closet. And here he was, acting like Sollux was putty in his hands like all the idiotic females were, and like nothing had happened.

"So we're back to normal, is that it?" Sollux spat without thinking. The line began to move as the class got onto the airplane.

Eridan said nothing and stepped in front of him, but Sollux swore he heard a snicker. He grabbed the back of Eridan's shirt to pull him back so they could talk (or argue, most likely), but Eridan pushed his hand off.

"Can't you wait, Captor? We'll talk on the plane." Eridan grabbed his wrist just like he'd done before the "incident", and pulled him onto the airplane, managing to snag the back seats before anyone else could.

He pushed Sollux roughly into the window seat and dropped their bags into the outer seat so no one could sit there. Sollux glared at him, but then huffed in irritation and turned toward the window. He wasn't about to fawn over the other boy for the entire flight. No way was he letting Eridan get to him again.

About twenty silent and tension-filled minutes later, the plane took off. After a moment in the air, Sollux heard Eridan speak.

"So I assume you want me to kiss you again."

Sollux jumped. Then he glared at Eridan, praying that his blush wasn't obvious. "N-no, hell no! But what was that, anyway? Don't mess with people like that, you asswipe."

"You think I'm messing with you, huh?"

"Of course. That's all you ever do to anyone." Sollux turned back to the window grumpily.

Eridan spoke from behind him. "All right then. Maybe I _am _messing with you. Or maybe..." He turned Sollux's face towards his with fingers that were softer and warmer than anything Sollux had ever felt, and leaned forward so that his lips were right next to the other (completely frozen) student's ear. "...I do like you back."

Sollux could feel Eridan's breath on his ear, making his heart rate rise through the roof and making him _need _those lips, _need _that wonderful feeling he hadn't gotten enough of during that painfully short kiss. But then Eridan's hand was absent from Sollux's chin and he pulled his perfect mouth away, leaning back in his seat.

"But who can say? We may never know. Or rather, _you _may not." He flashed Sollux that _stupid _smile and laughed.

It took a moment for Sollux to shake himself out of that trance, but when he did, he growled something about "shut up, Ampora" under his breath and turned to face out the window so he couldn't see Eridan at all.

Pressing his hand down onto his thigh, he closed his eyes and sighed shakily. He was glad that was over, because it had been ridiculously arousing and Eridan was doing it on _purpose, _the bastard. If this was how the entire week was going to go, he decided he'd better find a way to jump out of the plane.


	5. This is What I'm Dealing With

**A/N: This chapter required some research, as I myself have never been to France and have no idea what the airport would look like. So I looked it up, yeah. I was supposed to go to France with my school this year, but for some reason the whoever the fuck funds the trips decided not to, so I can't. Some of this story stems from the bitterness left over from discovering I cannot go. :) Enjoy~ And sorry, this chapter is shitty, in my opinion. Anyway...oh, and I am aware that I didn't account for the time difference; it was very late (2 AM) when I wrote this, and it's too much of a bother to fix, so yeah. :P**

**Chapter 5**

As Sollux stepped out into the airport terminal of the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris (with Eridan unfortunately right at his heels), his jaw dropped. "Whoa."

The place was HUGE. An arched, wood-paneled ceiling high above their heads curved overtop, dotted with square windows that kept the area bright. It was awfully stylized for an airport, in Sollux's opinion, but it was still awesome to look at. He figured that if an _airport_ in Paris looked this cool, everything else would look even better than he'd predicted. This trip could, quite possibly, be awesome, even if he was joined at the hip with a self-obsessed twat that was out to get him in multiple ways.

Glancing back at Eridan, who was looking around as well (he seemed interested in something besides himself for once, how strange), Sollux's good mood immediately soured. He could already tell he was going to get a lot of bullshit on this trip, and that nothing good would come of any of it. Eridan had started fucking with him on the plane, rendering him a confused, jumpy mess the entire flight, and that was only the beginning. He winced to imagine, once again, sharing a hotel room with the bastard. And then came _those _thoughts. He couldn't let them get into his head, not before, not now, not _ever. _Sollux decided right then that he was going to focus on himself this trip, and Eridan could go fuck himself. This was supposed to be fun, not stressful and anxiety-building, though usually with Sollux nothing ever went quite without all that.

The French teachers shouted from the front of the crowd, and started herding students along to the bathrooms and food court. Sollux heard something about the hotels being mentioned over the chaos, and groaned. This crap would be starting earlier than he thought. But at least he'd get to relax (he'd been forced to wake up earlier than most days that morning).

Suddenly, there was a hand at the small of his back, and Sollux gasped. He knew exactly who the culprit was; he didn't have to look to find out, but the person's warm hand was sending sparks of electricity through his body, and he couldn't let them fuck him up.

"Move your _hand, _Ampora," he said through gritted teeth. The hand was removed, and Sollux shook himself out, but then those damn lips were by his ear again.

"If that's what you want, Sol." And they were gone.

Sollux had no choice but to keep walking during all that, but it was almost fortunate, because if he'd been still his reaction would've been a lot more noticeable to his classmates. However, that didn't change the fact that Eridan was still teasing him and still being the cruelest piece of shit in history. He was already sick of Eridan's shit, and the week wouldn't be over till Friday.

The entire group had to wait for those who needed the restroom, but once everyone was accounted for, they all set off to get on the buses to the hotels (there were far too many students to fit in just one). On the bus, Sollux managed to get a seat considerably far away from Eridan, which was a relief. He needed time to himself. He spent that time reading and mentally battling himself to keep thoughts of how Eridan looked particularly kissable that day out of his mind.

How in God's name he was going to survive this, Sollux didn't know.

Finally, they arrived at the hotel. Nothing particularly fancy—no one at their school was _that _rich—but nice enough to mean there probably wouldn't be bedbugs or any of that gross stuff involved.

Sollux went into the lobby, got his room number, went up the elevator and into his room, where he promptly collapsed onto the bed. He sighed heavily, facedown on a pillow, reveling in its softness after a day of sitting in not-exactly-comfortable plane seats. What time was it, anyway...? The clock on the bedside table told him it was 7:30. Not even late, and yet he was exhausted. He turned over and saw, of course, Eridan standing inside the doorway. He looked particularly excited about something.

"What's with the smile?" Sollux asked brashly.

"Look around and tell me what other furniture you see."

Sollux grumbled. Fine. He sat up and looked around their medium-sized room. There was the bedside table, a kitchenette, a dinner table, and...what was the big deal? Then, it hit him like a truck.

Where. Was. The other. Bed.

"Oh my _God_," Sollux said out loud before he could stop himself. He heard Eridan cracking up behind him, but anger was coursing through his veins. Of course _his _room was a mix-up, of course he got stuck with his crush and one bed, of course everything had to be just that much harder.

"Guess we're gonna be bunk buddies, huh, Sol?" Eridan walked past the bed and dropped his luggage onto the floor next to it. Sollux harrumphed and tried to act like it wasn't a bother, but internally his head was spinning. God, his life sucked.

"Anyway," Eridan said, "I'm pretty exhausted. I think I'll be heading to bed early, yeah?"

Wait. What was he doing now? Was he—Jesus Christ he was taking off his shirt. Sollux could see the smooth skin of his back, each and every toned muscle, and God he wanted to run his hands across Eridan's chest and he was staring now just no stop stop _stop. _

Sollux grabbed his night clothes and ran into the bathroom to change by himself. Why, why, why did Eridan have to do that?! Sollux was by now completely sure Eridan knew of his crush, but why tease him like that? It was sick, especially because Eridan didn't like him at all and was just doing it for kicks. Sollux was pretty sure of that too.

When he was done changing and was totally sure Eridan was as well, he walked out of the bathroom to see Eridan sitting on the bed, reading a book. Wait...a book? Sollux didn't think he'd ever seen Eridan reading a book before right then. Reluctantly, he moved over to the bed and got under the covers.

"Could you maybe shut that book and..." Sollux stopped when he noticed what Eridan was reading. "'A Tale of Two Cities'? You're reading that?"

Eridan glanced over. "Yeah, I am. It's pretty good so far. Most of the time 'classic' books or whatever they call them bore me to sleep, but this one caught my attention. Couldn't tell you why, it just did."

Sollux nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. It's...that's a good one. You'll like it."

Their eye contact lasted for a bit too long, and Sollux turned away quickly. "So, anyway, would you mind turning down the lamp's brightness a bit? I need to sleep, like right now."

Eridan nodded and reached over to turn the lamp's brightness knob down a few notches. Sollux muttered a thank you and turned over so he wasn't facing the other.

Out of nowhere, Eridan grabbed Sollux's shoulder and turned him onto his back, pressing his lips down onto the surprised boy's. Again, Sollux couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, all he knew was Eridan, and that he was kissing him back, when did that happen? But while this kiss lasted longer than the first, it was far more reserved, and Eridan pulled away gently.

He stared down at Sollux as if he'd just discovered the secret that would destroy him, an almost triumphant look, which was understandable because essentially, he had found out that secret. Or at least ensured its truth.

Eridan smiled, but this one had a hint of tenderness in it as opposed to its usual malevolence. "Good night, Sollux."

Cursing himself for having that reaction and giving Eridan the means to ensure he was right about everything, Sollux once again turned away, scowling and blushing, and closed his eyes.

As he drifted off, he tried his very best to not think about what could've happened if that kiss hadn't ended.


	6. And We Can't Even Break Up

**A/N: I MOTHERFUCKING DID IT! I had a serious case of writer's block this week, and last weekend I was extremely busy and didn't have a chance to write a thing. Sigh. I have some ideas for next chapter that I wanted to put in here, but I figured you've all waited long enough, so I finished off this part. I hope you're not too upset for the wait, and that this chapter doesn't disappoint you! P.S. And maybe leave me some more love in the reviews, if you please. ;)**

**Chapter 6**

The next morning, Sollux woke up with Eridan's arms around him.

Completely unaware of what was going on, his memories rushed back, which relaxed him a little, until he realized that _Eridan's arms were around him._

He essentially spazzed out, falling off the bed and waking an annoyed-looking Eridan up in a kind of rude way.

"What the hell was that for, Captor?" Eridan grumbled, rubbing at his eyes and stretching his back out. Sollux scowled up at him from his spot on the rather uncomfortable floor. Indignantly, he sat up straighter.

"You were _holding _me, you idiot! You had your arms around me!" Sollux glared at the other boy, eyes challenging him for an explanation.

A look of surprise, then confusion, passed over Eridan's face, then one of slight embarrassment. "I...look, I didn't _mean _to. I like to hug things while I sleep. Like a pillow or something, but I guess that wasn't an option last night."

They continued to stare at each other for a moment, Sollux's cheeks pink with his breaths coming short through parted lips and Eridan looking down at him with his expression a mixture of confusion, mortification, and uncertainty. Sollux was the first to move, turning his head away and getting up. He muttered something about needing a shower and walked into the bathroom with his head down. He didn't look behind him when he felt Eridan's intense gaze burning into his back.

Sollux didn't bother to grab soap or anything; he just turned on the water, took off his pajamas, and stepped into the shower, leaning his forehead against the wall. _Bullshit. Total bullshit. _His thoughts ran rampant with thoughts of the kiss from the night before and the feel of Eridan holding him. His arms were gentle but strong, his lips soft and smooth. Sollux wished he could just grab on to the other and kiss him deeply, firmly, like nothing else mattered.

But he couldn't. In his case, it simply wasn't possible. He lacked the bravery to do so, and on top of that, he wasn't even sure what Eridan's feelings were. Sollux could easily surmise that the other was just "trying him on", like he did with so many other people. There was never a fucking crush. All Eridan did was mess around with whoever he thought was sexy enough, then throw them out the next week because they weren't good enough or whatever the hell he was thinking. Sollux knew about all of it; he'd watched Eridan's sick antics from afar since they'd started high school, and been totally disgusted yet totally taken with what the two of them could do. Once, he'd thought that even if Eridan didn't care, he'd take a kiss even if that was all he'd get. Whether or not there were any feelings involved.

Now, Sollux knew that dumbass idea wouldn't be enough. And he'd be damned if he knew what would.

He spent a while brooding before actually getting to cleaning up, so he took half an hour to get out of the shower and face his problems (bathing, he'd found, was a good way to pretend they weren't there). Sollux changed in the bathroom so Eridan wouldn't be able to bother him while he was undressed and walked out into the room. Eridan was once again caught up in his book. Sollux felt the sudden urge to talk to him about it, but shook it off—he didn't know where Eridan was in the book, anyway (that wasn't the actual reason, though).

Eridan, without looking up from his book, said "We're going to the Eiffel Tower today."

That was right. Sollux had forgotten. "Yeah, we are. What time?"

"Like ten minutes."

Nodding, Sollux turned and sat down at the dining table. He was more than a little annoyed at Eridan's manner of acting like not a thing had happened between them. Well, really nothing had. Eridan was just messing with him to see if he was at all desirable (which he wasn't at all), so it was natural for him to act like he felt nothing, because he didn't. A sudden wave of bitterness and anger overtook Sollux. He hated that fucking bastard, he really did, but he couldn't stop himself from loving him. He couldn't stand what he was feeling and just prayed that it would go away, but it never did. Love was total bullshit, but there was nothing he wanted more.

"Something bothering you?" Eridan had looked up and was watching Sollux. "You're looking upset about something, I dunno."

Sollux realized he was scowling. "No, nothing. Worry about yourself, idiot."

Eridan raised an eyebrow. "Why can't I worry about you? I'm kinda rooming with you. I have the right to ask."

"Well, you're not my friend, so keep to yourself. Try actually being nice for once, then maybe I'll tell you when I'm having issues."

Eridan sighed exasperatedly, shutting the book. "I seriously can't believe you. I've kissed you twice, and you still think I hate you. Whatever you're high on, it's seriously fucking with your perception."

Sollux turned away, not meeting Eridan's eyes. "The only thing fucking with me is you."

"What are you talking about?"

Sollux suddenly turned and glared right at Eridan. "I've fucking told you, I know you don't care! You've done this teasing thing with literally every person you've ever thought was hot! So somehow I'm one of them, and you're trying me on to see if I'll work. I'm not good enough to matter to you!"

Eridan stared at him. Then, he nodded slowly. "Fine, great. I'm going to let you think that. I won't even tell you if you're right. You can figure it out if it kills you. Because obviously, I don't _care _about you and I never fucking will_._" Sollux saw hurt in his angry expression.

_No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry; I love you; I didn't mean that; please don't hate me. _All the things Sollux couldn't say ran through his head at once. So he didn't say them. Instead, with a hollow feeling in his chest, he said "We should go downstairs and meet with the others" and gathered up his things. Without looking at Eridan, he walked out the door of their room.


End file.
